reservations required? | troubleshooting | official site & process | FAQ
National Parks that require reservations/advance purchase online
- Tenorio/Celeste
- Poás Volcano
- Chirripo
- Manuel Antonio
- Carara
- Irazú
- Rincon de la Vieja (Pailas sector only)
- Corcovado*
*Corcovado is a special case where reservations are required but must be made through an agency. The park can only be visited while accompanied by a registered guide.
Tickets to enter other parks (see below) may be purchased in advance online -or- at the entrance.
The majority of the national parks only sell tickets at the entrance.
reservations required? | troubleshooting | official site & process | FAQ
SINAC is the Official Site for Making Reservations
This is the official page for making reservations at the national parks. Most parks are pay at the entrance but the most popular ones are online. Beware that there are websites like manuelantonionationalpark dot com that pose as official national park sites but are actually marketing companies. With the exception of Corcovado where the general public cannot enter or hike unaccompanied, SINAC is the only site for direct reservations.
Reservations require three steps.
- Sign up for an account
- Choose the park and enter the date, time, names, ages and passport numbers of each person
- Pay by credit card
You can reuse the same account for reservations at other parks.
There’s a timer between step 2 and 3 that will close your reservation if you do not complete it in time. Be prepared with all of the information including each passport number and your credit card number, expiration and secret code.
Unless the park closes – for example if there’s an eruption at one of the volcanoes – there are no refunds and the tickets are non-transferable.
reservations required? | troubleshooting | official site & process | FAQ
Trouble Reserving, Can’t Pay?
The SINAC ticketing system is convoluted and frequently problematic. Even if you just want one ticket first you have to create an account and verify it and then make your purchase(s). It’s an antiquated system that was designed by bureaucrats, built to handle one park and mutated to do several, and hosted on an overworked server. The tips for getting it to work are…
- Just keep trying
- Use a computer or laptop instead of a phone or tablet
- Use a different browser – some say Firefox is best, other say Chrome and yet others recommend Microsoft. I have never seen anyone say “it finally worked when I tried Safari” so if you’re on an apple try something else.
- Do not let anything autofill (like how you start to fill a form and the rest of the fields fill in for you). Always type every entry.
- Make sure there are no leading or following spaces in any entries
- If you haven’t received your passport yet, need to renew etc. and don’t have your actual passport number you can enter any random number and it will work. They don’t ask to see it at the gate and if they do, and ask about the random number just explain you renewed and it changed.
reservations required? | troubleshooting | official site & process | FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Costa Rica National Park Reservations
Do I have to arrive at exactly the time I choose? They usually allow some flexibility on entry times. However, since early morning times are highly preferred (cooler, more active animals), booking a late time and arriving four or five hours early probably won’t work.
What if I don’t have my passport or it’s being renewed? Any random number will work. They don’t ask to see it at the gate and if they do, and ask about the random number just explain you renewed and it changed.
What if I just show up? At the more popular parks you may find scalpers or tours that include entry for much higher prices than the face value. Sometimes there’s a computer available near the entrance with sketchy wi-fi and you may be able to use it to make a reservation for the next time slot.
reservations required? | troubleshooting | official site & process | FAQ